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Of Floating Staircases and Snow: A Conversation With Ron Malfi

With what could possibly be the worst title for an interview with an author, we’d like to welcome you to yet another conversation with Dreadful Tales. And yes, it is the worst title, but this is one of the best authors we’ve ever talked to.

“What’s that?”, you say. “What’s this ‘we’ business?”

Let me explain.

See, everyone here at Dreadful Tales is a huge fan of Ronald Malfi and his work. Pieces like Snow, Borealis, Passenger, The Stranger, The Separation, and now Floating Staircase, are the bread and butter of what we do. They’re the reason we do this, and they’re the best goddamned thing we can rely on to justify the fact that the horror genre is alive and well. To say that and author like Malfi crosses the line between genre and literary fiction would be a massive disrespect to the man’s work. He is Ronald Malfi, and he has his own style and voice. Here, there is no pigeonholing possible. It is just what it is. And let me tell you, what this man is capable of is amazing.

Pat and I were borderline terrified before we entered this little chat. Not only were we going to be speaking to one of our favorite writers, but the research we’d done before-hand lead us into some fascinating territory. Delving deep into the back story of Shamrock Alley, and finding out the motivation behind Malfi’s frequent use of snow in his stories was a treat for genre nerds like us. Hell, take a listen and see how far we go with our research, as evidenced by Pat’s observation regarding something great in Floating Staircase. That said, it’s true that we’re reviewers and journalists… but you have to remember… we’re fans, first and foremost.

Have a listen to this conversation. Pat and I will tell you a million times: This was an absolute blast. Malfi is one of the most approachable, kind, and intelligent souls out there. He’s one of the guys, he’s humble as hell, and he’s a young buck who shows no signs of slowing down. We’re stoked to bring this to you… if you can get past that terrible title…